Along vs. Long — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 23, 2024
Along is a preposition denoting movement or position in a linear direction, while long describes length or duration.
Difference Between Along and Long
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Along refers to being in a continuous line next to something or following a path. For example, you might walk along the river. Long, on the other hand, indicates the measurement of distance from end to end or the duration of time, as in a long journey or a long rope.
While "along" implies accompaniment or alignment, such as traveling along a road or trees planted along a boulevard, "long" suggests an extent or range, whether in space or time, like a long speech or a long table.
Along is often used to describe a position that is adjacent and in line with a reference point or path. In contrast, long is used to express the physical or temporal size, emphasizing the expanse or continuation beyond the usual.
When using "along," the focus is on the relationship of objects or entities with respect to a path or direction, highlighting the sense of movement or positioning. Long emphasizes quantity, either spatial or temporal, showcasing dimensions or the passage of time.
"Along" typically involves a concept of movement along the surface or within certain boundaries, whereas "long" is static, describing characteristics that do not entail movement but rather size or duration.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Preposition
Adjective (primarily)
Usage
Indicates position or direction
Indicates duration or length
Context
Accompaniment, alignment
Size, duration
Example Phrase
Walk along the beach
A long beach
Conceptual Focus
Path or directional movement
Measurement and extent
Compare with Definitions
Along
As a preposition, it indicates movement adjacent to something.
She walked along the fence.
Long
Describes something of great length or duration.
He has a long beard.
Along
Can suggest directionality in a narrative.
As the story moves along, the intrigue deepens.
Long
Indicates a desire or need taking a while to fulfill.
They had a long wait at the airport.
Along
Used to represent a position within boundaries.
The paintings are displayed along the hallway.
Long
Refers to something that extends beyond the normal.
A long summer day stretches past 8 PM.
Along
Refers to the presence within a particular stretch.
Famous cafes are situated along this street.
Long
Used to express extended distance or time.
The long corridor seemed endless.
Along
Implies accompaniment or conformance with.
Along with her notes, she brought a laptop.
Long
Can emphasize the exaggerated size or scope.
That was a long explanation.
Along
Over the length of
Walked along the path.
Long
Extending or traveling a relatively great distance.
Along
On a line or course parallel and close to; continuously beside
Rowed along the shore.
The trees along the avenue.
Long
Having relatively great height; tall.
Along
In accordance with
The committee split along party lines over the issue.
Long
Having the greater length of two or the greatest length of several
The long edge of the door.
Along
Forward; onward
We drove along, admiring the view. Farther along, we passed a hitchhiker.
Long
Of relatively great duration
A long time.
Along
As company
Bring your friend along.
Long
Of a specified linear extent or duration
A mile long.
An hour long.
Along
In accompaniment or association; together
Packed an atlas along with other books. See Usage Note at together.
Long
Made up of many members or items
A long shopping list.
Along
With one; at hand
Luckily, I had my camera along. Our guests should be along soon.
Long
Extending beyond an average or standard
A long game.
Along
(Informal) Advanced to some degree
My father is getting along in years.
Long
Extending or landing beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal
Her first serve was long.
Along
By the length of; in a line with the length of; lengthwise next to.
Long
Tediously protracted; lengthy
A long speech.
Along
In a line with, with a progressive motion on; onward on; forward on.
Long
Concerned with distant issues; far-reaching
Took a long view of the geopolitical issues.
Along
In company; together.
John played the piano and everyone sang along.
Long
Involving substantial chance; risky
Long odds.
Along
Onward, forward, with progressive action.
Don't stop here. Just move along.
Long
Having an abundance or excess of
"politicians whose résumés are long on competence" (Margaret Garrard Warner).
Along
By the length; in a line with the length; lengthwise.
Some laid along . . . on spokes of wheels are hung.
Long
Having a holding of a commodity or security in expectation of a rise in price
Long on soybeans.
Along
In a line, or with a progressive motion; onward; forward.
We will go along by the king's highway.
He struck with his o'ertaking wings,And chased us south along.
Long
(Linguistics) Having a comparatively great duration. Used of a vowel or consonant.
Along
In company; together.
He to England shall along with you.
Long
(Grammar) Relating to or being the English speech sounds (ā, ē, ī, ō, ) that are tense vowels or diphthongs.
Along
By the length of, as distinguished from across.
The kine . . . went along the highway.
Long
Being of relatively great duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody.
Along
Now heard only in the prep. phrase along of.
Long
During or for an extended period of time
The promotion was long due.
Along
With a forward motion;
We drove along admiring the view
The horse trotted along at a steady pace
The circus traveled on to the next city
Move along
March on
Long
At or to a considerable distance; far
She walked long past the end of the trail.
Along
In accompaniment or as a companion;
His little sister came along to the movies
I brought my camera along
Working along with his father
Long
Beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal
Hit the return long.
Along
To a more advanced state;
The work is moving along
Well along in their research
Hurrying their education along
Getting along in years
Long
For or throughout a specified period
They talked all night long.
Along
In addition (usually followed by `with');
We sent them food and some clothing went along in the package
Along with the package came a bill
Consider the advantages along with the disadvantages
Long
At a point of time distant from that referred to
That event took place long before we were born.
Along
In line with a length or direction (often followed by `by' or `beside');
Pass the word along
Ran along beside me
Cottages along by the river
Long
Into or in a long position, as of a commodity market.
Long
A long time
This won't take long.
Long
(Linguistics) A long syllable, vowel, or consonant.
Long
One who acquires holdings in a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in price.
Long
A garment size for a tall person.
Long
Longs Trousers extending to the feet or ankles.
Long
To have an earnest, heartfelt desire, especially for something beyond reach.
Long
Having much distance from one terminating point on an object or an area to another terminating point usually applies to horizontal dimensions; see Usage Notes below.
It's a long way from the Earth to the Moon.
How long was your newborn baby?
Long
Having great duration.
The pyramids of Egypt have been around for a long time.
Long
Seemingly lasting a lot of time, because it is boring or tedious or tiring.
Long
Not short; tall.
Long
(finance) Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting of the expected rise in their value.
I'm long in DuPont.
I have a long position in DuPont.
Long
(cricket) Of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position).
Long
Landing beyond the baseline, and therefore deemed to be out.
That forehand is long.
Long
(gambling) Of betting odds, offering a very large return for a small wager.
Long
Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
Long
(archaic) On account of, because of.
Long
(linguistics) A long vowel.
Long
(prosody) A long syllable.
Long
(music) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
Long
(programming) A long integer variable, twice the size of an int, two or four times the size of a short, and half of a long long.
A long is typically 64 bits in a 32-bit environment.
Long
(finance) An entity with a long position in an asset.
Every uptick made the longs cheer.
Long
(finance) A long-term investment.
Long
The long summer vacation at the English universities.
Long
Longitude
Long
To take a long position in.
Long
(intransitive) To await, aspire, desire greatly (something to occur or to be true).
She longed for him to come back.
Long
(archaic) To be appropriate to, to pertain or belong to.
Long
(obsolete) To belong.
Long
Over a great distance in space.
He threw the ball long.
Long
For a particular duration.
How long is it until the next bus arrives?
Long
For a long duration.
Will this interview take long?
Paris has long been considered one of the most cultured cities in the world.
She has known us as long as you
I haven't long to live.
Long
Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; protracted; extended; as, a long line; - opposed to short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
Long
Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a long book.
Long
Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering; as, long hours of watching.
Long
Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
The we may us reserve both fresh and strongAgainst the tournament, which is not long.
Long
Having a length of the specified measure; of a specified length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
Long
Far-reaching; extensive.
Long
Having a supply of stocks or goods; prepared for, or depending for a profit upon, advance in prices; as, long of cotton. Hence, the phrases: to be, or go, long of the market, to be on the long side of the market, to hold products or securities for a rise in price, esp. when bought on a margin. Contrasted to short.
Long
A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
Long
A long sound, syllable, or vowel.
Long
The longest dimension; the greatest extent; - in the phrase, the long and the short of it, that is, the sum and substance of it.
Long
To a great extent in space; as, a long drawn out line.
Long
To a great extent in time; during a long time.
They that tarry long at the wine.
When the trumpet soundeth long.
Long
At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior; as, not long before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the Conquest.
Long
Through the whole extent or duration.
The bird of dawning singeth all night long.
Long
Through an extent of time, more or less; - only in question; as, how long will you be gone?
Long
By means of; by the fault of; because of.
Long
To feel a strong or morbid desire or craving; to wish for something with eagerness; - followed by an infinitive, or by for or after.
I long to see you.
I have longed after thy precepts.
I have longed for thy salvation.
Nicomedes, longing for herrings, was supplied with fresh ones . . . at a great distance from the sea.
Long
To belong; - used with to, unto, or for.
The labor which that longeth unto me.
Long
A comparatively long time;
This won't take long
They haven't been gone long
Long
Desire strongly or persistently
Long
Primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified;
A long life
A long boring speech
A long time
A long friendship
A long game
Long ago
An hour long
Long
Primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified;
A long road
A long distance
Contained many long words
Ten miles long
Long
Of relatively great height;
A race of long gaunt men
Looked out the long French windows
Long
Holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices;
Is long on coffee
A long position in gold
Long
Of speech sounds (especially vowels) of relatively long duration (as e.g. the English vowel sounds in `bate', `beat', `bite', `boat', `boot')
Long
Used of syllables that are unaccented or of relatively long duration
Long
Involving substantial risk;
Long odds
Long
(of memory) having greater than average range;
A long memory especially for insults
A tenacious memory
Long
Planning prudently for the future;
Large goals that required farsighted policies
Took a long view of the geopolitical issues
Long
Having or being more than normal or necessary:
Long on brains
In long supply
Long
For an extended time or at a distant time;
A promotion long overdue
Something long hoped for
His name has long been forgotten
Talked all night long
How long will you be gone?
Arrived long before he was expected
It is long after your bedtime
Long
For an extended distance
Common Curiosities
How does "long" function grammatically in most contexts?
"Long" functions as an adjective, describing the extent or duration of nouns.
Is "along" interchangeable with any other prepositions?
"Along" is somewhat similar to "beside" but specifies a path or linearity.
Can "along" imply anything besides physical direction?
Yes, "along" can also imply progression in abstract terms, such as a project.
How does the use of "long" differ in describing objects versus time?
When describing objects, "long" refers to their length; in time, it describes duration.
What are examples of "long" being used figuratively?
Figuratively, "long" can describe things like a "long-awaited meeting."
How does "long" modify the meaning of a noun it describes?
"Long" emphasizes the substantial nature of an object’s length or a period’s duration.
What is a simple mnemonic to distinguish "along" from "long"?
Think of "along" for direction (alongside) and "long" for dimension (length).
What does "along" typically modify in a sentence?
"Along" modifies another noun by indicating position or direction relative to it.
Can "long" be used in contexts other than physical dimensions?
Yes, "long" also describes time, indicating an extended duration.
What type of movements does "along" typically describe?
"Along" describes movements that follow a specific line or path.
What are common collocations with "along"?
Common collocations include "along the way," "move along," and "all along."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
